Flexible coupling apparatus
US4214457A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 18, 1979 |
| Grant date | Jul 29, 1980 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 18, 1999 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T403/7007
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A flexible coupling shaft which is suitable for plug-in installation between the splined output shaft of a turbine engine and the splined input shaft of a testing apparatus for the production test of the engine, includes a shaft member having opposed end flanges which are connected by: (1) bayonet connections to hub members, each having a splined central portion for receiving the splined shaft of either the engine or the testing device; and (2) flexible joint connections in the form of stacked arrays of flat metallic shims, with the stacked shims being separately connected respectively to the flange parts of the shaft and the associated hub. By this arrangement, axial misalignment between the splined input and output shafts is compensated by the splined interconnections, while lateral misalignments are compensated for by bending of the stacked shims which define a diaphragm-type coupling. Upon removal of either the engine shaft or the shaft of the testing apparatus, the respective bayonet connection supports the cantilevered shaft member of the flexible coupling apparatus, thereby precluding overstressing of the stacked shims.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.